Trial and Error
by Goldenrod
Summary: The long awaited sequel to 'A New Ally'. Kit has her first fallout with Makuta, but he's not the only villain she has to worry about.
1. Makuta

Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, only Kit.

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In a dimension different from our own, on the island of Mata Nui, Matoran everywhere were going about their daily business. Ta-Matoran farmed the lava river that fed into their village, Ga-Matoran made flax and fished, Po-Matoran carved sculptures and structures, Le-Matoran romped around the trees of their jungle home, Ko-Matoran did their best to predict what would happen and when, and Onu-Matoran either dug more tunnels in the island's already complex and ever-growing underground tunnel system or mined for protodermis. All the while, Tahu surfed the lava breaks of Ta-Wahi, Gali swam in the waters of her domain, Pohatu socialized with his villagers when he wasn't out climbing Po-Wahi's sheer rock cliffs, Lewa soared through the sky, Kopaka contemplated on his favorite spot on Mount Ihu, and Onua helped the miners. Everyone was enjoying a rare event that occurred on the island—peace.

That's what things were like on the surface, but far below, deep within the bowels of the lone Mangaia volcano, trouble was brewing. Makuta was plotting, planning how to rid himself of a certain nuisance who went by the name of Kit. A screech rang through-out the vast, dark cavern. He turned to face the Nui Rama that was bound to the ground by tendrils of shadow. It struggled to free itself, but the tendrils held as fast as chains. A wicked smile formed on the dark spirit's mask and he gazed at the item in his hand. His plan involved using a method from the past, a method that wasn't as successful as he had hoped, but still, he figured it would prove useful long enough for what he had in mind. The Rama continued fighting to get away as he approached it. "Do not fear little Rahi, you are more useful to me alive than dead," he spoke in a mockingly soothing tone. "I am currently in need of your services for a little task." The Rama immediately noticed that the great form in front of it was leaning in and reaching out with something. Its instincts warning it of great danger, it doubled its efforts of escape, but to no avail. The cavern of the Mangaia exploded with a long, shrill, horrible screech. A screech of agony.

Meanwhile, atop a rocky bluff on the island's eastern shoreline, sat a lone figure. Eyes closed, crossed-legged, and floating about a foot off the ground, Gali meditated. The peaceful silence was soon broken by someone calling to her. Opening her eyes, she looked over her shoulder to discover Kit approaching. "Kit, what brings you here?" the Water Toa asked.

"Nothin' much. Just wondering what you were up to here."

"I like to come to places like this to meditate. Where it's nice and peaceful."

Kit nodded, seeing why the Water Spirit chose this spot. The view was quite amazing with a bright blue sea and a clear sky that stretched as far as the eye could see. Then she turned her attention back to Gali. "You know, I've been asking you to teach me how to do that." The Water Toa's mask beamed and she gestured for the girl to come join her.

"The trick is to clear your mind," Gali explained. "Focus your thoughts and keep your breathing steady."

Kit did as she was told. After she got a rhythm going in her breathing she worked on her thoughts. Five minutes passed, and Kit didn't feel like she made any progress whatsoever. "I somehow get the feeling that this isn't working, Gali."

"Don't rush it. Instead of searching for the understanding, let the understanding come to you."

'Riiiigght,' Kit said to herself, but resolved to try again.

More minutes passed and, just when she was about to doze off, a sound made her snap her eyes open. A sound that seemed to come from somewhere in the air. She was about to ask Gali if she heard it when she saw that the Water Toa already had her aqua axes out. Kit could feel her legs tensing, ready to react. "Look out!" Gali suddenly cried. She grabbed the girl and pitched them forward. Stealing a glance behind, Kit saw why. A stinger had embedded itself right where she and Gali were standing. She didn't need to see the source of the buzzing to know that they were now under attack by a Nui Rama. "Kit--" Gali began.

"I'm way ahead of you," said Kit as she stood up.

Then, summoning the power of the crystal she wore around her neck, in a flash of light, her regular clothes changed to her Toa armor suit. The buzzing got louder, a sign that the Rahi was approaching. Both Toa and human prepared themselves. Then, in a blur, the Rama flew towards them so fast, they barely managed to dodge its attack. After regaining her composure, Gali was about to summon her water powers when she noticed something on the Rama's face. A very disturbingly familiar something. It was a mask, and it was pitched and a sickly grey color. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Kit raising her arms, palms facing the Rahi. "Kit, don't," she called, but too little too late. A concentrated ball of light flew away from the young girl's hands into the sky. The Rama, however, managed to avoid it and buzzed back into the trees. Kit's eyes darted from one spot to another, trying to recognize any sign of the robotic insect's whereabouts. Curiously, its raucous buzzing decreased to a loud hum, though she and Gali were positive it couldn't be too far away. Carefully, they inched closer to each other.

"Where do you think it could be?" asked Kit.

"I don't know," replied Gali. "But I don't like this."

Just then, she caught sight of something in the bushes. The Rama. There was little time to react. "Get back, Kit," Gali commanded as she shoved herself in front of the girl, taking the shot that was meant for her. The force of the hit was enough to send Kit over the edge; but, as luck would have it, she managed to grab hold of the cliff. Looking down, she could see the powerful waves pounding against the craggy rocks and sending up the spray she could just barely feel at the toes of her boots.

"Yikes," she said and hauled herself up.

She let out a concerned gasp when she spotted Gali's motionless form lying on the ground. Sprinting to the Toa, she gathered her in her arms. That was when she noticed the stinger in the Water Spirit's shoulder. As quickly as she could, she pulled the thing out. Gali grunted slightly, badly weakened but alive. After discarding the stinger, Kit gently set her friend back down. "Rest easy now, Gali," she said, the buzzing of the Nui Rama could be heard nearby. Her eyes narrowed as she walked toward it, "I'll handle this." The giant bug revealed itself again. Kit was about to attack when she noticed something different. This Nui Rama was wearing a mask on its face, a mask that she recalled reading about in the real world. 'Is that a--" she wondered, but the Rama's charge interrupted her thought. She tried to leap aside, just like before, but the side of the Rahi's head managed to clip her on the side. Kit was sent spinning right into a tree. She was unconscious before she even hit the ground.

Gali groaned as she struggled to open her eyes and get them to focus. 'What happened?' she thought. 'What's wrong with me?' Suddenly, she heard a screech and a Nui Rama flew over her. It was carrying Kit in its claws. "No, Kit," the Water Toa called out feebly and got up, only to have her legs fail her. She was now aware of how weak she was due to the Rahi's venom. She fully collapsed back to ground as the rest of her strength left her and she knew no more.

The Rama flew through the secret passage at the Kini Nui, the young human beginning to stir in its clutches. Before long, it reached its destination and gently placed the girl down. Then, it buzzed a little ways away from her and just hovered, as if waiting for more instructions. Meanwhile, Kit propped herself on an elbow as she worked to clear out the cobwebs in her head. It took a little while, but finally her eyes adjusted to the surrounding dark environment. Her nose wrinkled at the dank smell in the atmosphere and she noticed the green mist that drifted everywhere in the cavern, giving it a very eerie feeling. Seeing this scene before, she had a very strong idea of where she had to be and, almost immediately, she felt a sickening feeling of dread. "Kit," a deep, rumbling voice greeted from within the shadows. Kit felt like she practically jumped out of her skin; though she had heard the voice before, it still inexplicably seemed to fill her with fear and despair. She tried to discern where the villain was when she heard the creak of gears grinding together and the loud thump of a large footfall. The creaking and thumping repeated two more times and their volume seemed to increase in intensity before Kit realized it had to mean only one thing—he was coming at her. Too frightened to move, she stayed put, unsure if the shaking she felt throughout her body was her or if it was due to the Dark Spirit's pace. A few more steps, and there he was. Kit hardly dared to believe her eyes; she had always thought that this guy had to be quite a sight height-wise, but, still, imagining was nothing compared to actually seeing the real thing. Right before her stood a twenty foot tall, dark-magenta colored behemoth with sickly green splotches all over its armor—Makuta. His red eyes glowed with an evil mirth as he greeted, "Welcome to my lair." Kit didn't reply, her terror leaving her completely speechless and unable to react. She just stood where her feet planted her, staring at him with wide, fearful eyes.

In the meantime, Gali was regaining consciousness. Her eyes opened to find a familiar mask holding vigil over her. "Turaga Nokama," she said warily.

"Be at peace Toa Gali. You're safe now," the turaga of Ga-Koro assured her.

"What happened?"

"Hahli and Maku found you on a cliff just a short walk to the north from here. You were unconscious and they found a Nui Rama stinger, so they sent word to me and I had you transported here for healing."

"Kit!" the Toa of Water gasped, memories of hers and Kit's attack flashing through her mind. She started to get up, but collapsed to her knees. Nokama steadied her.

"You must rest, Gali. You're still not yet up to full strength"

"Can't rest, Kit's in danger," struggled Gali as she tried to get back to her feet. "That Rama took Kit to Makuta. He has her." Nokama didn't bother to hide the fear in her eyes.

"Are you sure, Gali?"

"Yes, Nokama; the Rama was wearing an infected mask. I've got to summon the other Toa." Finally, the Water Toa managed to walk a few wobbly steps to the door.

"And what about you?" asked Nokama. "You're still not recovered from the Rama venom."

"I'll be alright," Gali assured. "I can feel my strength coming back to me."

And with that, the Toa of Water dove into the waters and swam her way towards Po-Koro, knowing that with his Mask of Speed, Pohatu would be able to gather the remaining Toa faster than she could hope to. Nokama's eyes followed the wake that trailed the Water Toa. "Be careful, Toa of Water."

Makuta turned his attention to the Nui Rama as if just realizing it was there. "Your usefulness to me has ended," he said and he struck the Rahi with a backslap of his hand. A loud crash echoed throughout the chamber when the winged Rahi collided into the wall, the impact dislodging the infected mask from its face. It fell to the ground with a dull thud and didn't move. Kit stared in shock at the sight of the fallen creature, fearful that Makuta actually killed it. However, its eyes blinked on and it shook its head. Its wings were beating in an instant and it was gone in a flash, thus allowing Makuta to return his attention on the young girl. "Miss me?"

"Miss you?" she asked, confused.

"Well, it has been a long time, hasn't it?" Makuta continued.

Kit was, to say the least, now more bewildered than ever. Still a little shaken, she got up to her feet as she braced herself against the wall behind her and said, "You must have a screw lose, pal. This is the first time I've ever actually seen you face-to-face."

In the blink of an eye, Makuta bent down so he was at eye level with the youth, a deep frown on his Krahkann. Kit, just as fast, instinctively flattened herself against the wall, breathing hard. Makuta's mask was mere inches away from her face and the glowing red eyes bored at her. "Do not try to play coy with me, Kit," he said in a dangerously low voice. "A thousand years may have passed, but I remember the day I first laid eyes on you like it only happened yesterday. At first, I thought you and your friends would be nothing more than minor pests. However, as it turned out, the both of you put together turned out to be much more of an annoyance than I calculated."

Makuta's reminiscing confused Kit even more, which showed on her face, whether he noticed or not, and caused more questions to form in her head. What was he talking about? Why did he think that they've crossed paths before? Her thoughts, however, were interrupted when Makuta's clawed hand grabbed her by the front of her shirt. And, slowly and with the sound of gears groaning, he rose up to full height. Kit kicked her legs as she dangled in midair, totally at the mercy of the giant. She struggled and pried to get out of the Makuta's grasp, but nothing worked. As he observed her, Makuta then felt something radiate from Kit—fear. Pure, stock terror. Although, the sensation itself was no stranger to him, what was was that he never felt it in the girl before, at least not at this magnitude. At first, he was puzzled, then a second later he allowed a wicked, satisfied sneer as he thought, 'She must have learned to fear me over the years.' "Now," he spoke, "it is time."

Bolt-like shadowy tendrils erupted from his hand and surrounded the girl. Though she didn't know how, it felt to her like somehow they were seeping into her brain, making her suffer agonizing feelings of pain, horror, and despair and experience her deepest, darkest fears. 'No, get away from me,' she said in her head as frightening glimpses of terrifying creatures and other forbidding images flashed through her mind. 'Keep away, leave me alone!' Kit, then, screamed at the very top of her lungs.

Tahu froze in his tracks, causing Lewa to bump into him and the other Toa to skid to a halt. The scream rang throughout the tunnel. "Kit," Gali said worriedly.

"Pohatu, use your Kakama and go ahead of us," Tahu ordered. "We'll meet up with you as fast we can."

"Right," the Toa of Stone saluted, and disappeared down the tunnel in a blur of motion.

In less than a minute, Pohatu found his way to the Mangaia. Seeing Kit in Makuta's grasp, he instantly went into action. He rammed into the giant with all of his might, taking him totally by surprise and causing him to let go of the kid. Then, he turned around and caught her before she hit the ground. "Are you alright, Kit?" he asked as he gently set her down.

"Yeah," the girl replied, "thanks."

"A noble effort, Toa," Makuta mused at the two. "But, you and your brothers and sister, whom I have no doubt are on their way, are fools to have come down here."

'Speaking of the others, I hope they get here soon,' Pohatu thought as he placed himself between Kit and Makuta. 'I may be the strongest of the Toa, but there's no way I can handle this guy all on my own.'

Makuta made his move and lunged toward the Toa. Pohatu, however, grabbed Kit, who yelped in surprise, and was gone in a flash. In less than half a second, they reappeared behind him. Makuta turned and lunged again, and again Pohatu dodged, and again. Unfortunately, the evil one somehow anticipated the Stone Toa's moves, and stuck his foot in Pohatu's path. Though he saw the foot coming, the Toa of Stone couldn't stop in time and over they went. The young girl slipped out of his grasp and they both tumbled across the floor until they came to a skidding halt. Groaning, they began to get up.

"Got to work on the brakes," Pohatu mumbled.

"No kidding," Kit said as she rubbed her shoulder.

Hearing Makuta approach them, Pohatu was about to shield Kit again when a burst of fire entered the cavern. Makuta backed away from the two, blinded by the light of the flames. The girl glanced at the entrance, bewildered, when she saw a red form spring toward the giant—Tahu. Sword raised, he prepared to bring his weapon down upon his sworn enemy as he descended. Makuta, however, managed to spot the attack coming and defended himself. With a slight shove, he threw Tahu away from him, who flipped and lithely landed beside his brothers, sister, and Kit. "You two ok?" he turned to Pohatu and Kit.

The Toa of Stone nodded as the girl replied, "Let me just say I've had better days."

Feeling a cold hand on her shoulder, Kit looked up at Kopaka. "We'll keep him busy. Run for the tunnel when you spot your chance and meet us outside," instructed the Ice Toa. The girl nodded with barely a moment's hesitation and braced herself.

"Foolish Toa," addressed Makuta with a hint of irritation in his voice. "This 'meeting' concerns no one but me and the child." Gali stole a questioning look at Kit, who simply shrugged in response. "Therefore, if you could be so kind," Makuta continued, "you will now leave both this place and the girl."

"We'll gladly leave your lair, but not without Kit," was Tahu's firm reply, and the other Toa concurred with slight nods of their heads.

"Then, consider your doom sealed," and he conjured up his staff of darkness.

The Toa's muscles tensed, ready for action. Kit's muscles tensed as well, and her legs were ready to run at a moment's notice. As one, the Toa charged and leapt. Makuta, however, intercepted them, knocking them to the ground. Onua was the first to get on his feet and attacked Makuta with one of his quakebreakers, grazing the villain's shoulder armor enough to make him wince. Within moments the other Toa were joining their brother, attacking their enemy with both their tools and elemental powers. Meanwhile, seeing that Makuta was distracted, Kit dashed down the tunnel. 'Boy, will I be glad to get out of here,' she thought as she ran.

Back at the Mangai, Makuta was still being marauded by the Toa. When his gaze happened to fall upon where he last saw the girl, he saw that she was gone. His eyes searched the cavern, but she was nowhere to be seen. For a brief moment, he felt rage that the Toa had distracted him and thought about doing away with the little pests and using his shadow powers to locate her. After all, wherever there were shadows, so was he. But then, he came up with a better idea. "Onua. Pohatu. Now!" he heard Tahu shout, and the next thing Makuta knew, the two Toa rammed into him from opposite sides, bringing him down hard. For a few tense minutes, the Toa stared at the fallen figure, trying to determine if they could leave him long enough to meet Kit outside. "C'mon," Tahu snorted. "Let's get out of here."

The Toa were almost to the tunnel entrance when they heard a voice say, "Not so fast, Toa."

Whirling around, they saw Makuta was back on his feet, battered but alive. In his right hand, he held Pohatu by the throat. The Stone Toa clutched the hand, as if trying to pry it off and his legs were kicking empty air.

In the tunnel, Kit stopped in her tracks and turned to face the direction from which she came. For some reason, in the back of her mind, she had this strange feeling that she had to go back. Shaking her head, she turned back around and got ready to start running toward the exit. But, for some reason, she couldn't. Turning the other way, she gazed into the darkness. She took one step forward, then another, and another. As if her legs had gained a mind of their own, her pace slowly quickened until she broke into a full run.

"Pohatu!" Onua gasped, and he prepared to go help his friend.

"Stop!" Makuta commanded, and the Toa of Earth paused. "Any of you take one step closer or try anything with your powers, and I break his neck."

With great reluctance, the Toa stayed themselves; they all knew Makuta was more than capable of carrying out his threat. Then, Makuta grabbed Pohatu's climbing claws and threw them to the ground.

"You will now throw down your weapons and surrender."

"Guys, don't," Pohatu called in a slightly strangled voice. "Don't worry about me, just get out of here."

The Toa looked at each other, unsure of what to do, and then they looked at Tahu. The Toa of Fire wrestled with the options in his mind. They couldn't stay, yet they couldn't leave Pohatu either. Finally, with a dejected bow of his head, he came to a decision.

"We're not going to risk your safety, brother," he said firmly, and he threw his magma swords on top of the climbing claws.

The other Toa nodded in full support of their leader's choice and added their weapons to the pile. Pohatu was about to plead again to his brothers and sister to save themselves, but Makuta tightened his grip on his neck, choking him. The Stone Toa started gasping and kicked his legs harder as Makuta reveled in seeing and feeling the helpless Toa struggle in his grasp.

"Stop it!" a voice echoed, and Kit barged her way through Kopaka and Gali. She ran as close to Makuta as she dared and stopped. "Let the Toa go, Makuta. I'm the one you want."

"Kit, no!" exclaimed Tahu.

As one moment passed, a moment that felt like forever, Kit began to fear the worst. Finally, and thankfully, Makuta flung Pohatu away with a toss of his wrist. The Toa of Stone collided into Onua and Tahu, who gently set him down as he began to cough for air, one hand to his throat. Seeing that her friend was going to be ok, Kit turned her attention back to Makuta who smiled. He knew she would come back for the Toa if she knew they were in danger. He reached down to grab her and the girl stood her ground, shaking. Just when his hand was about to envelope her, Kopaka aimed his ice powers at it, freezing it. As Makuta backed away a few steps in surprise, Kit looked back to see the group running to reclaim their tools and ran back to join them.

"Any suggestions?" she asked.

"We fight our way out," answered Tahu as he brandished his swords.

Makuta had just now somehow managed to get the ice to thaw and looked very annoyed at the Toa. "In that case," said Kit. "Something tells me I'd better slip into something more 'comfortable'."

She let loose a flash of light, blinding both the Makuta and the Toa. When the light cleared, Makuta found himself looking at the human youth in her Toa armor suit. Onua tried using his earth powers to stumble up Makuta, but the giant rode with it. Pohatu took his turn, attempting to land a hard kick on him; however the Makuta simply grabbed his leg and threw him to the ground. The fight continued on like this, with the Toa not gaining the slightest advantage. "Everyone, combine your powers," Tahu ordered.

The Toa focused their powers on Makuta and struck him full force. Despite the pain that assailed his body, Makuta managed to stay up. "Kit," said Onua. "We could use some extra oomph, if you know what I mean?"

"Huh?" Kit asked as if she just snapped out of a trance. "Oh, right."

She folded her hands on top of each other and placed them on the right side of her waist, her wrists joined together, where an energy ball formed. Then, extending her arms out, her power was added to the Toa's. Heat, cold, earth, stone, water, air, and something else he couldn't quite recognize; Makuta couldn't make heads or tails of which force ended and another began. Unable to hold his ground any longer, he was forced back, crashing into the wall behind him, and just laid there. After they spent a few minutes staring at the dazed form, Kit asked, "Does this mean we can leave now?"


	2. Doubts

Disclaimer: Bionicle isn't mine, but Kit, Darcius, and the dragon-creature are.

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The tired heroes made their way down the tunnel that would take them to the Kini Nui. Remembering what the Makuta said back at the Mangaia, Lewa asked, "What was Makuta speak-talking about back there, Kit?" The girl slightly jumped, the Air Toa's voice catching her totally by surprise.

"About what?"

"You know, about you and him?"

"I don't know."

"He obviously thinks he knows you," said Onua.

"Must have me confused with someone else or something," Kit replied as she followed Tahu out the tunnel. "If you ask me, that guy was never that bright to begin with, if you know what I mean."

The Toa shared a short laugh at their little friend's joke; even Kopaka smiled. However, that smile faded as he made his way to Ko-Wahi. He had a very bad feeling about everything that happened in that cave. 'Somehow, I highly doubt that this is a case of mistaken identities,' he thought to himself. 'And I've got a feeling that things just got a little more dangerous for Kit around here.' Little did the Toa of Ice know at the time of how right he was about to be, and not just in the way he was anticipating.

At Ga-Koro, Gali was heading to her hut when she spotted Kit curled up in a blanket on her lillypad. She shook her head as she let out a quiet sigh and made her way there. She had noticed that the young human seemed unusually jumpy back in the tunnel and had a look of fear in her eyes as they darted all around in the darkness. "Can't you sleep?" she asked. The girl shook her head in response.

"I can't stop thinking about it," Kit mumbled. "As much as I wanted to, I couldn't fight back. It was like he made things, creatures, and monsters I only saw in my nightmares come to life right before my eyes." The Toa of Water gently placed a hand on Kit's opposite shoulder in an effort to comfort her.

"It wasn't real, Kit. It was all in your mind."

"Maybe, but all through the battle, the walk in the tunnel, and even right now, the images are as clear as daylight to me. They're still there, inside my head."

Kit got to her feet and walked into her hut, but Gali didn't leave until she was sure the girl was sound asleep.

Elsewhere, in a plane that existed all on its own, a dark and forbidding figure observed the island through a break in the darkness that created the entirety of his domain. When he heard a low rumble behind him, he turned to a giant winged form. There was a look of anticipation in the pair of eyes that looked down upon him. "Patience; your turn will come soon," the humanoid being said gently. "But first things first." And, he vanished from sight.

It had been three days since Kit's abduction by the Makuta and, by now, things were pretty much back to normal. Although, there were times that the girl wondered why she just couldn't let go of her fear; all of these years, she thought she had accomplished that, but her encounter with Makuta proved otherwise. Still, she wasn't going to let that spoil her visit with Takua in a nearby field. Looking towards the seashore, Takua judged from the position of the sun that it was time to get back to Ga-Koro. "You know how Jaller doesn't like being late. Even with Pewku and the Onu-Wahi tunnels, it's still going to be a while before we get back to Ta-Koro."

"Let me guess—he threatened to have you scrub the training floor for a week if you were late because you were goofing off again?" Kit presumed.

"How did you know?"

"Women's intuition."

The Ta-Matoran couldn't help a sarcastic smile. Just then, Pewku suddenly stiffened, as if she had just sensed something, then ran for cover underneath a bush. "What's with her?" asked Kit.

"I don't know."

Takua walked over to the bush and tried to coax Pewku out, but the crab wouldn't budge. "Kit," a voice called in the air. Immediately, Kit froze and searched the area, but found no one. Takua also stopped his efforts in getting Pewku to come out and looked around.

"You heard it too?" inquired the girl.

"Yeah."

"Whose there?"

In response to the human youth's question, a figure materialized out of thin air, causing both girl and Matoran to jump in surprise. Before them stood a man dressed in a black suit with black shoes that glistened in the sunlight. On his back draped a black cape that slightly rustled in the slight breeze, and he wore white gloves on his hands. His black hair was slicked in the back except for the bangs that were styled up in such a way that they looked like sideways triangles. As for his eyes—they were as red as blood itself. This alone was enough for Kit to conclude that not only was this man not human, but to make her tremble from head to toe. "I have waited a long time for this moment, Kit," said the man.

"Friend of yours?" asked a confused Takua.

"No way," she replied hurriedly.

The girl kept her eyes locked on the man and remembered he greeted her by name. 'What is with these people?' she thought to herself. 'Both Makuta and this guy claim that we've met before, but that's not possible.' Kit found her train of thought interrupted when the man decided to launch his attack. Reaching out his hands, light purple energy bolts fired toward the two. Kit grabbed Takua's arm and barely managed to jump out of the way in time. A small patch of burnt earth was left where they were just a moment before, and the man already discharged a second round. "Get back, Takua!" Kit cried, and shoved the Ta-Matoran to the side, having very little time to react otherwise. She just achieved instinctively crossing her arms to shield her face when the energy bolts made contact. For a brief moment, she felt pain and she was thrown back from the force of the assault. She landed by a tree with a thud, and didn't move.

"Kit!" Takua gasped, and ran toward her.

However, the man flexed a hand at him and Takua found himself floating into the air. The man then flicked his hand to a thick bush, where Takua found himself tossed, and returned his attention to the girl. He snapped off the crystal from Kit's neck just as she was beginning to regain her bearings. "Hey, that's mine," she protested.

"You won't be needing it," he replied coolly. "At least, not where you're going."

His free hand began to sparkle with the same energy bolt attack. Fortunately, at that moment, Takua, riding on Pewku, rammed into him. He skidded about ten feet away, looking more irritated than scathed. "Very well, I'll let you have this victory, though I don't know how much of a victory one would call it," he growled as he held up the crystal. "But mark my words, child—this is not over."

Before he vanished Takua called out, "Who are you?"

The man eyed the Ta-Matoran then disappeared as he replied, "Darcius."

Matoran, crab, and human just gawked at where their attacker left. Then, with a yell of frustration, Kit smashed the ground, startling Takua and Pewku.

Nokama walked on a bridge, observing the activity in the village when she noticed a familiar figure sitting on the beach. It was Kit, and she appeared to be sulking. The turaga sighed as she shook her head; it had been two days since Daricus' attack and, since then, Kit had been keeping to herself and seeing or talking to no one.

The girl just gazed out toward the horizon; she had never felt so low in her life. She didn't even give any indication that she was aware of Nokama's approach. "May I join you?" asked the turaga. She merely shrugged and Nokama took a seat next to her. "Judging from those clouds in the distance, I suspect we'll be getting some rain soon," Nokama said in an attempt at getting a normal conversation started. Kit, however, wasn't fooled.

"I swear I'm such a loser."

Nokama looked to her, a bit taken aback by her bluntness. "I feel like such a failure," Kit continued. Knowing where this was going, Nokama placed a consoling hand on the girl's shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault, Kit. You did the best you could in both situations."

"But I could've done better. I _should've_ done better."

"You're still new at this, Kit; you're not perfect and no one's expecting you to be."

"But I was chosen to protect this realm, and the stakes are very high. If something goes wrong in this dimension, countless other dimensions will suffer. What kind of a Protector am I when I can't even stand up to this world's biggest, baddest guy? I just stood there and let him get the best of me."

"It was your first encounter with the Makuta since coming to our island. You were naturally afraid, and there's nothing wrong with that. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

A pause followed as Kit absentmindedly reached toward her upper chest, only to remember that the crystal was not there.

"I even let that creep steal my crystal. Without it, there's no way I'll be able to defend you and the Matoran, let alone help the Toa."

The girl suddenly stood up so fast, Nokama almost fell on her back.

"It's bad enough that I didn't try hard enough, but without the crystal I'm useless."

Kit took off towards a path up the cliffs as Nokama watched her go with a look of remembrance in her eyes. 'If only you knew, child,' she thought. 'If only you knew.'

Before long, Kit found herself at the same cliff where she and Gali were attacked mere days ago. She began to feel a little better as she gazed at the sea and felt the wind blow her hair back. Legs tired from running, she let herself sit down. A minute later, the sound of footsteps could be heard behind her. "How're you doing?" a voice asked. Kit turned to find it was Gali.

"I don't know."

The Water Toa took the liberty of sitting down beside the girl.

After a suspicious thought crossed her mind, Kit asked, "Did Nokama send you up here?"

"No," Gali gently beamed, "I came here of my accord."

For a few moments, neither Toa nor girl said a word. Lost in their own thoughts, they stared at the ocean.

Finally, Gali broke the silence, "Care to join me in some meditation?"

"No thanks."

"It might help you deal with what's going on in your head."

"I doubt it with the luck I had earlier."

"You know what they say—practice makes perfect."

Closing her eyes, Gali began to meditate. Kit, meanwhile, tried to look like she was more interested in watching the ocean, but kept looking back at Gali. With a sigh, she crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and joined in Gali's meditation. Though, with her lingering guilt and frustration, it wasn't easy.

The days came and went, and Takua and Jaller were casually making their way back to Ta-Koro through the Charred Forest. The two friends' conversation was suddenly interrupted by a fearsome roar. A giant shadow passed over and before them landed a monstrous form. It was a dragon of some sort and a fully organic one. Its scales were as green as the island's jungle and its eyes were a bright yellow. It stood at least three to four times the height of a Toa, its wingspan about as wide as it was long, all four of its feet were equipped with huge talons that could slice through rock as if it were butter, and it had a long, slender tail. Its slitted eyes gazed at the two Matoran, as if analyzing them. When it looked at Jaller, the Captain of the Guard felt as if the eyes were piercing into him like knives. Then, with a rumble in its throat, it turned its snake-like head to Takua. After a very tense moment, its pupils slightly dilated. Startled, the Ta-Matoran stepped back, only to stumble over an exposed tree root and fall. Hissing, the creature reached out for him, but Jaller jumped in with his sword and slashed at the creature's foot. It roared as it pulled back, more out of surprise than pain since the weapon didn't even leave a scrape. It leered and growled angrily at the Matoran with a sword; it had come to retrieve something and it wasn't leaving until it got it. With a snarl, it spread its wings and flapped them, creating a gust of wind powerful enough to send both Matoran sprawling on the ground. It stepped up to them and again reached out for Takua and grabbed him with its forepaws, pinning his arms against his sides. Try as he might, he could barely do anything more than a wiggle. "Jaller!" he cried. "Jaller, help!" The Captain of the Guard sat up, shaking his head to get rid of the stars that danced in front of his eyes. Seeing his friend in trouble, he immediately jumped into action, sword in hand. However, the creature was getting ready to take to the sky and, just as Jaller made a running jump and reached for Takua, it took off. His hand missed by inches.

"Takua!" he hollered at the top of his lungs as he ran as fast as he could go.

There was only one, last chance that Jaller could do something and his timing had to be exact. With a yell, he leaped with all of the strength he could muster and wrapped his arms around the creature's tail. 'I honestly can't believe I'm doing this,' the Ta-Matoran thought to himself as he tried to work his way up the monster's spine and hold on for dear life at the same time. Although, he only managed to pull himself along three times when the dragon creature discovered it had an extra, and unwelcome, passenger. A simple flick of its tail was enough to send Jaller to the earth below. Takua, meanwhile, could do little else but watch, too shocked to even call out his friend's name.


	3. Strategizing

Disclaimer: The only characters I own are Kit, Darcius, and the dragon-creature.

* * *

Agni paced back and forth in front of the gate to Ta-Koro, standing guard. He was just thinking that his shift was almost over when he caught sight of some kind of movement in the steam. "Halt!" he called, aiming his blade. "Who goes there?" But no answer came. "Halt!" he repeated. "Identify yourself." Still no reply and the figure was coming closer. Agni narrowed his eyes and prepared himself, gripping his weapon tighter. Soon, though, he was able to make out a familiar yellow mask. "Captain Jaller!" he exclaimed and his composure relaxed immediately. He was about to announce to the guard on the rampart to lower the portcullis, when he stole another look at the Captain of the Guard. His mouth practically dropped and his eyes widened in shock. Jaller was clutching his left shoulder, his mask was badly scratched up, and there were additional scratches and cuts all over his body. On top of that, he appeared and sounded exhausted; he could barely hold his head up let alone walk. Dropping his weapon, Agni rushed over to him and slipped an arm across his shoulders.

"Va . . . kama," Jaller groaned. "Got to . . . see . . . Vakama."

"Open the gate and inform Turaga Vakama," Agni called to the guard above. "Captain Jaller's hurt."

A guard peeked over the edge, saluted, and disappeared. A few moments later, the slab began to lower and, supporting the weight of his Captain, Agni walked in. Kapura came running and was about to slip on Jaller's other arm when Agni stopped him. "No don't. It might make the injury worse."

Nodding, Kapura instead grabbed hold of Jaller's waist and the two guided him toward Vakama's hut.

Vakama was talking to a visiting Nokama when a guard member walked in. "Forgive the interruption, Turaga," the guard saluted, "but there's an emergency."

"What sort of emergency?" asked the Turaga of Fire.

"It's Captain Jaller, Turaga. He's badly hurt; he looks like he had a run-in with a Rahi."

"Bring him in."

The guard saluted and signaled Kapura and Agni to enter.

Outside, Kit, who had come with Nokama, was browsing among the trading posts. She came with the turaga hoping to visit with Jaller and Takua, only to find out that they had not returned from their scouting yet. Some movement by Vakama's hut caught her attention and she turned to find two guard members ushering a familiar and beaten-up looking Ta-Matoran inside. 'Jaller!' she thought and ran toward the group.

Vakama couldn't remember ever seeing the proud Captain so thrashed, not even from when he got shocked from the Tahnok-Kal. "Set him down over there," he instructed as he pointed to spare cot in the back. Kapura and Agni obeyed and, as gently as possible, laid him down. Carefully and skillfully, Vakama examined the Matoran's wounds. The turaga frowned when he saw that a lot of them had bits of dirt and charred tree bark in them. "Nokama, could you grab me that flask over there, please?" he asked pointing to a shelf. The Turaga of Water nodded and went to retrieve the item while Vakama left to fetch some cloth. After wetting the cloths with the water from the flask, both turaga started dabbing them on Jaller's wounds to rinse away any infection. The Captain slightly hissed from the stinging pain, but otherwise didn't protest. It was at that moment Kit let herself in.

"What happened?" she asked, now seeing up close the intensity of Jaller's wounds.

"That's what we'd like to know," answered Agni.

Vakama had left to get some ointment when Jaller finally found his voice. "Vakama," he called weakly.

"I'm here, Jaller," the Turaga said comfortingly.

"Quickly," said Jaller. "You've got to send for Toa Tahu. Takua . . ."

"Where is he, Jaller?" asked Vakama. "What happened?"

Jaller told the turaga about the creature, Takua's abduction, and his fall as they tended to his injuries.

"Judging from what you've just told us and these wounds, it's a miracle that you're still alive let alone that you managed to find the strength to get here," commented Nokama as she started putting the Matoran's shoulder in a splint.

"How did you survive a fall like that, anyway?" asked Kit.

"I landed through a thick patch of trees," answered Jaller. "My guess is they somehow cushioned me enough to survive the landing and they're where I got most of these cuts and scratches."

"Still, the landing was hard enough to give you a ruptured shoulder," Vakama pointed out.

Finally, with his arm placed in a splint to allow his shoulder to heal, Jaller was allowed to rest and the group moved outside.

"Does anyone know where Tahu is?" asked Vakama.

"I believe I saw him heading for the Tren Krom Break," replied Agni. "He said he was going to do some lava surfing there."

"Kapura, find him and tell he's needed at the village immediately," the Turaga instructed.

"Yes Turaga Vakama," the Ta-Matoran saluted and, in a flash, was gone.

About a half an hour later, Tahu arrived at the village. "Welcome back Toa," Vakama greeted. "Sorry to have cut your lava surfing short."

"No apologies needed, Turaga," Tahu waved dismissively. "I came as soon as Kapura delivered your message."

The Turaga motioned for the Toa of Fire to follow him into his hut. Tahu followed and his eyes immediately fell on Jaller, who was being tended to by Nokama and Kit. "How is he?"

"Resting," replied Nokama, "but he'll be fine."

"What happened to him?"

"Would you believe some kind of dragon creature?" Kit asked.

When the red Toa gave her a questioning look, Kit and the turaga repeated Jaller's story to him. Once they had finished, Tahu's eyes burned with determination. "What are we waiting for? Takua needs our help."

"I'm afraid there's nothing you can do at the moment, Toa," said Vakama.

"Why not?"

"Because we don't have the slightest clue where that thing took him," answered Kit.

Tahu grumbled in frustration; he knew they were right. Suddenly, a screech was heard outside. Everyone ran out to the courtyard where they discovered Kongu on his Gukko, Ka. "Turaga Vakama!" the Captain of the Gukko Patrol waved once he spotted Ta-Koro's elder and hopped off of his bird.

"What brings you here to our fiery village, Kongu?" asked Vakama.

"Scary-bad news, I'm afraid," the Matoran responded. "Ka and I were wind-flying back to tree-bright Le-Koro. Rather good-well conditions for sun-soaring actually . . ."

Kit rolled her eyes with a slight smile. She had nearly forgotten that the Le-Matoran idea of storytelling was including every single possible detail, no matter how miniscule, thus causing them to get off track.

"Kongu," Tahu interrupted, "the news?"

"Yes, Toa Tahu," Kongu bowed. "Anyway, Ka and I were wind-flying back to Le-Koro when we sight-spotted this huge-big dragon-like creature."

Everyone's eyes widened as they exchanged glances at each other.

"We quickly cover-hid in the trees," Kongu continued. "When I noticed-saw it had Takua-friend, we snuck-followed it."

"Were you able to find out where it took him?" Vakama asked.

Kongu nodded. "It carry-took him to a ground-cave on the south-east side of that small mountain-hill." He pointed in the direction of the border land between Ta-Wahi and Le-Wahi.

"What are we waiting for now?" asked Kit. "Let's go," and she headed for the gate.

However, before even Tahu could follow her, she was stopped suddenly when Vakama grabbed her forearm. "What?" she asked with a hint of impatience.

"This is not the time or situation to be making hasty decisions, Kit."

"But--"

"Kongu, send word to all of the Toa that they are needed," Nokama instructed. "Tell them to meet us at the Kini Nui as quickly as possible."

The Le-Matoran saluted, bid farewell, and, on Ka's back, took off.

"Vakama?" Kit inquired.

"If you are to save the Chronicler, you're going to need the strength of all of the Toa," the Turaga of Fire answered.

Kit wanted to protest but she noticed the look in the Turaga's eyes. It was a firm look that told her that his decision was final and there was no discussing it any further, and she dejectedly dropped her head. Vakama let go of her arm and walked with Nokama back into his hut. "This really bites, huh?" she said both to herself as well as to Tahu.

"Yeah," the Toa of Fire nodded. "But, as much as I hate to admit it, I guess they have a point. Judging from what Jaller said, it's going to take more than just you and me to rescue Takua. Besides, you don't have your crystal anymore."

"Gee, thanks for stating the obvious," Kit said sarcastically.

She began to walk away when Tahu said, "You know, I'm not so sure you should even come with us anyway, Kit. You'd more than likely only get hurt; let us take care of it."

Kit stopped in her tracks. As he waited for he wasn't sure what, Tahu cocked his head. After a few moments, Kit spoke. "Let me ask you something, Tahu. When you lost your powers to the Bohrok-Kal, did you just sit around and do nothing?"

Tahu, left speechless, said nothing and Kit continued on her way. For some reason, she found herself walking into the chamber that housed the Wall of History. She let herself lean against the opposite wall, arms folded across her chest and frowning deeply. Deep inside, she knew the Toa was only concerned about her safety, but Tahu's suggestion hurt her and opened emotional wounds she was trying to heal. 'He probably thinks I can't do anything just because I don't have my crystal,' she thought. Angrily, she kicked a small pebble, which echoed as it bounced down the hall. She let out a frustrated sigh and, with no reason in mind, started to trace the Matoran letters with her fingers.

Later, Tahu and Vakama were getting ready to head out. All that remained was for Nokama to find Kit. "What could be taking them so long?" wondered Tahu impatiently. Vakama shrugged his shoulders just as Nokama appeared.

"Has anyone seen Kit?" she asked. "I can't find her anywhere."

Vakama and Tahu shook their heads and all three of them shared a feeling of dread. The Turaga and Toa of Fire knew Nokama would've been very thorough in her search. Therefore, that left only one possibility. "But Kit would never do anything so stupid," said Tahu. "Right, turaga?" Vakama and Nokama remained silent.

Meanwhile, near the borderland between Ta-Wahi and Le-Wahi, Kit stood at the mouth of a massive cave. It was so dark inside, she couldn't see anything farther than ten feet ahead of her. That alone was enough to unnerve her and, for a brief moment, she thought about either turning around or waiting until the others arrived. "No," she said shaking her head. "I've already come too far to chicken out now; I have to go in." And so, steeling herself, she tentatively walked into the cave with no idea of what to expect.

Further into the mountain, the large form of the dragon creature landed in a cavern. Grunting, Takua struggled in its grasp. "Let me go," he demanded, and it did. With a thud, the Ta-Matoran landed on the ground. Dazed, Takua looked to find a pair of black shoes in front of him. Shifting his gaze upward, he saw one of the last people he ever expected to see again—Darcius. Before Takua could react, the man had him in his hand.

"Well done," he praised the creature. "You may go now."

With a bow of its head, the creature vanished from sight, as if it just melded itself into the surrounding shadows. Then, Darcius dragged Takua toward a small stone pillar that was supposedly once a stalagmite. Once placed on top, Takua started struggling to get away, but Darcius kept hold of him with one hand to his chest. After some pushing and shoving, Darcius pinned Takua down and, the next thing he knew, black straps wrapped themselves around his wrists and waist. Once he was sure the little one was secure, Darcius left. "What do you want with me?" he asked as tugged at his restraints.

"You'll learn soon enough."

Meanwhile, Kit continued down the tunnel. The sound of pebbles falling somewhere made her stop. Even though she knew it wasn't really happening, she couldn't help but think that things that were not supposed to exist were either hiding in or trying to materialize out of the shadows. Memories of her encounter with Makuta and what he made her see flashed across her mind's eye. All of this, however, went through her head for only two seconds before she narrowed her eyes in determination. 'I can do this,' she told herself. 'I'm _not_ a little kid afraid of the dark anymore.' Forcing her thoughts to keep focused on Takua, she continued to walk with her hand feeling the wall.


	4. Surprises

Disclaimer: I own Kit, Darcius, and the dragon-creature, but not Bionicle.

* * *

Back at the cavern, Takua continued to try and free himself. He didn't even realize that Darcius was back until he was right next to him. As he lifted his hand, Takua immediately recognized the familiar light purple bolts that danced across his palm and fingers, waiting to be released. Panicking, the Ta-Matoran resumed his struggle as Darcius slightly smiled. "Your fate is sealed, Chronicler," he said as he raised his hand, preparing to deal the death blow. Suddenly, he cried out when something struck him in the back of his head and he unintentionally fell to his knees, catching himself on the pillar.

"Better check your crystal ball again, Darcius," a voice echoed.

Whirling around, he found Kit standing in the entrance. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here alone," he growled as he rubbed his head.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"As for the rock, no one does that to me and lives to boast about it."

He fired the shot at her and she ducked behind a rock. Three more times he fired the bolts at her, and three times she ducked behind stalagmites or rocks. "You can run, Kit," Darcius called out. "But you're running out of places to hide." Just then, it occurred to him that this wasn't like Kit at all. Usually she would've tried to move in for an attack long before now; instead she was just scurrying about the place like a scared pussycat. His train of thought was interrupted when he spotted Kit trying to sneak past him. Just when she was almost to Takua, Kit felt herself floating into the air and was flung to the ground. Shaking her head, she found herself laying a few yards away from Darcius. "Nice try, child," he commented. A glint of purple on his belt caught the girl's eye.

'My crystal,' she thought.

Instantly, she was back on her feet and charged Darcius so fast, he didn't have time to react. As she reached for her crystal, he tried to wrestle her away from him. With a hard shove, he pushed her off. "I've had enough of this," he growled as he narrowed his eyes. He launched more of his energy bolts and they assaulted Kit's body with a vengeance. She screamed in a pain so terrible, there was no describing it; no words could do it justice. Finally, Darcius called off the attack and, groaning, Kit collapsed. For a few minutes, her fingers, arms, and legs twitched involuntarily, purple energy sparking as a result.

'Now I know how a piece of bacon feels,' she thought to herself.

"I'll take care of you as soon as I'm finished with your little friend here," Darcius informed her and he turned his attention back to Takua.

Once more, he powered up his energy bolts, preparing to kill the Ta-Matoran who struggled helplessly. No matter how much she tried, Kit couldn't make herself get up; her body ached so badly, it just hurt too much to move. Still, with gritted teeth, she tried again to stand up, only to fall back down. Now on the verge of giving up, all she could do was watch. Takua, meanwhile, pulled at his bonds so hard his wrists started to hurt. "Help!" he shouted. "Help me!"

Darcius' hand was descending toward Takua's chest; in any minute it would be all over. Hearing Takua's cries for help, Kit felt as if something sparked inside of her. She couldn't just give up, she wouldn't. Her friend was in danger, about to be killed right in front of her eyes. On top of that, according to the story, Takua was destined to become the Seventh Toa. What would that mean for this world's existence if anything happened to him before then? Realizing that, she somehow found the strength to attempt to get up once more. Again she felt like thousands of white hot knives were jabbing into everywhere on her body and collapsed. 'I've got to get up,' she thought as she propped herself on her elbows. 'I _have_ to.' Darcius' hand was almost there and, upon pure instinct, Kit reached out. Feeling something happening in her hand, she looked to find a familiar ball of energy forming before it discharged and hit Darcius in the small of the back, sending him flying over the pillar and into the wall. Takua and Kit couldn't believe their eyes.

"How did that happen?" asked the Matoran.

"I don't know," Kit replied as she stared at her hand.

Hearing groaning, Kit and Takua looked to find Darcius getting up. He seemed to be as shocked as they were. "How? How is it that you still command your powers without the crystal?"

"To tell you the absolute truth, that's what I want to know," Kit answered. "But, while we're at it--"

She fired another energy ball at him, but Darcius dodged it, flipping over her. In mid-arc he fired his energy bolts. Kit, ready for this, turned on to her back and countered the bolts with her ball, causing the two attacks to cancel each other out in a small explosion. Darcius somehow managed to land while shielding his eyes from the light of the blast, and, when he looked again, an energy ball half his size was flying right at him. It knocked him clear into the wall where he was attacked by a barrage of energy balls, courtesy of Kit. Finally, she stopped and slowly, and painfully, got up and walked toward him. Locating her crystal, she grabbed it and said to the unconscious form, "This is mine." While she worked on fastening the crystal back around her neck, she walked to Takua.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"You're the one who got the shock treatment, and you're asking me if I'm ok?"

Kit couldn't help but smile. Before she could start working on the straps, however, a voice spoke from behind her.

"You may have won this one," said Darcius. "But neither one of you will leave this cavern alive."

He lifted his hand, as if in signal, and the same kind of dragon-creature appeared in front of them. Certain that there was no escape for both the girl and the Matoran, Darcius smirked and vanished. Kit impulsively planted herself between the creature and Takua. The creature lunged toward the girl who shot an energy ball at its forehead. The creature staggered back a bit. 'Need a little boost, I see,' she thought. Using the Dragonball-like technique, she launched a more powerful ball. This time, the beast felt pain and it didn't like it one bit. Before Kit could launch another attack, the creature swiped at her with its tail, knocking her away.

"Kit!" Takua cried out in concern.

As she sat up, Kit tasted something hot in her mouth and felt something drip down the right side of her chin. Placing a finger to her mouth, she discovered blood. Hearing a roar, she looked to find the dragon leering at Takua. Before she could cry out and the creature could attack, it suddenly changed into an ice statue. "What the--" Kit wondered and turned to the sound of someone clearing his throat. It was Kopaka. Without a word, the Toa approached the pillar while Kit followed. Within minutes, they had Takua free.

"Kit, you're hurt," the Matoran gasped when he saw the nearly dry blood on her lower face.

"It's nothing," the girl smiled sheepishly and she wiped it off with the back of her hand.

"Let's get out of here," said Kopaka, and they left.

Fifteen minutes had passed and the trio still trekked through the tunnel, with Kopaka in the lead. Finally, Kit asked a question that had been nagging at the back of her mind.

"Just one question, Kopaka. How did you find us?"

"Some of my village's trackers heard the noise and requested I investigate."

A moment of silence followed before Kopaka spoke again. "You know, kid, going off on your own like that was very foolish. You could've been creature-bones."

Kit nodded as she looked down at the ground. "But Toa Kopaka," Takua said, "if she didn't arrive when she did, I would've been Darcius-bones." The Toa of Ice nodded and offered a slight smile to the girl which she returned. Suddenly, Kopaka stiffened and placed his ice blade in front his companions. The shadows around them seemed to change, become darker than before.

'Not this again,' Kit thought as she placed a protective hand on Takua's shoulder.

In the blink of an eye, Kopaka swung his blade and shot a beam of ice just a quarter of an inch away from Kit's face. Kit screamed in surprise and, before she could yell at him, she saw something covered in a coat of ice was moving away from her and she heard a pained groan. It was big clawed hand and it was then that she saw its owner—Makuta. However, with a little effort, he managed to clench his hand into a fist, shattering the ice coating. "Stay put," Kopaka commanded and prepared to face the giant himself while Kit and Takua remained where they stood. Makuta, however, laughed.

"Do you really believe you can take on the Master of Shadows by yourself, little Toa?"

"You're nothing but an overgrown bully," remarked Kit.

Ignoring the girl's comment, the robotic Goliath swung his hand and Toa, Matoran, and human were thrown off their feet by what felt like a gust of wind. Makuta then approached a dazed Kit, an evil smile on his Krahhkan. Just when his hand was about to clasp around her shirt, Kopaka ambushed him. After struggling with him for a few minutes, Makuta elbowed the Ice Toa to the ground where he lay stunned. Then he placed a foot on the Toa's chest and applied just enough pressure to compress it. Kopaka groaned as he felt the air pressed out of his lungs and found himself gasping for breath. He placed his hands on Makuta's foot in an attempt to utilize his ice powers on it. Makuta just smirked; that trick wasn't going to work this time. Instinctively, the Toa of Ice began to struggle frantically, kicking his legs and trying to push the giant's foot off of his upper torso. But, his strength was leaving him fast and his lungs screamed for air as his vision blurred. "Can't . . . breathe," he wheezed weakly.

Kopaka was fading, Makuta could feel it. In a few moments, the Toa would be no more. "Yo, Makuta!" a voice called. Makuta turned to find Kit on a sloping ledge up above, her back braced against the wall and her legs against a boulder. "Think fast," she said, and, with a grunt of effort, she kicked the stone toward him. Makuta smashed it, creating a cloud of rock dust. As it cleared, a light shone in the haze. Before Makuta could make sense of what it was, Kit landed a hard, solid punch, sending the giant down the tunnel. The sound of the behemoth's body scraping through the ground, forming a short trench, echoed throughout the earthen tube. Kit, meanwhile, just gawked-first down the tunnel, then at her fist. A light yellow light slowly dimmed, making her hand look like a glowing orb. When the light completely vanished, she automatically flexed her hand.

"Seems this day's just full of surprises," said a voice.

Turning around, she found it was Takua trying to help a coughing and gasping Kopaka into a sitting position. "First we find out that you're able to use your powers without wearing your crystal, now you pull off a totally new technique that's powerful enough to knock out Makuta," the Ta-Matoran commented. "How are you doing it, Kit?"

Kit remained dumbfounded a moment longer before responding, "I really don't know." Forcing herself to take her eyes off her hand, she went to go help Kopaka to his feet. "All in all, I'd say I did good didn't I, Kopaka?" she asked the Ice Toa with a small grin. "Knocking down Makuta like that."

The Toa stood silent for a moment before responding with a slight, but friendly, smile, "Yeah, you did good, kid."

He rubbed the girl's head gently and her grin evolved into a proud smile.

Meanwhile, the other Toa were gathered at the entrance to the massive tunnel. They all either sat or stood, anxiously waiting for the only one who was yet to arrive—Kopaka. "Where in the world is he?" Tahu growled under his breath. "It's been about an hour since the last of us arrived."

"It's not like Kopaka to keep us waiting this long without any word whatsoever," Onua commented.

"Maybe we should go search-look for him," Lewa suggested. "Or, at least, way-send a messenger."

"That won't be necessary, brother," a voice from the cave spoke.

To say the least, the remaining Toa were surprised to find not only Kopaka, but also Kit and Takua exiting the tunnel.

"Mata Nui, Kit," Gali exclaimed. "You look like you had a wrestling match with a Tarakava."

"Not a Tarakava," the girl corrected. "Darcius and a dash of Makuta."

The Toa exchanged looks with each other, Kopaka, and Takua. Then Pohatu placed his hands on his hips and said, "Sounds like we've got a bit of a story to hear."

Once the group arrived back at Ta-Koro, the very first thing they did was let Takua visit Jaller. The Captain of the Guard looked a little better from the last time Tahu and Kit saw him and was extremely relieved to see his friend alive and safe. Then, finally, everyone, Turaga Vakama and Nokama included, heard Kit and Takua relay the story about the events in the cavern. Once they had finished, Kit asked the turaga the question that had been nagging the back of her mind all of those hours. "Vakama, Nokama, how was I able to use my powers without having my crystal around my neck?"

The two turaga glanced at each other.

"We're not exactly sure, Kit," Vakama answered. "Your crystal is as much of a mystery to us as it is to you."

"Maybe you were able to access your powers because you were in close proximity with the crystal," Onua suggested.

"Possible," Kit agreed, rubbing her chin. "And what about the trick I did with Makuta? I was never able to do that before now."

"It's possible that your capabilities with the crystal are growing, or expanding," Nokama offered. "Over time, you learn new abilities."

"In that case, I almost can't wait until my next 'visit' with either Darcius or Makuta," Kit grinned. "I want to try out my new move again and see what other ones I can come up with."

Every mask in the hut stared at her in disbelief.

"Hey, I said 'almost'," she repeated.

A moment of silence, then everyone burst out laughing.

The days came and went, and once again everything on Mata Nui was as peaceful as it could get. Not to mention, Kit once again found herself practicing meditation with Gali on the Water Toa's favorite peak, her strength and wounds fully recovered. She curiously looked at the Toa, who appeared so focused and serene. She closed her eyes and, almost instantly, her thoughts seemed to go back and forth in between her first meeting with the Makuta and during her mostly solo rescue mission. She recalled how frightened and vulnerable she felt in both situations. Then, they shifted to her running back to help the Toa and her second confrontation with Makuta. Both times she felt no fear. Why? 'Because I felt a need to do something,' she thought. 'I wanted to help my friends. And, apparently, my dedication to my friends was stronger than my fear.'

"_It wasn't your fault, Kit . . . you were naturally afraid . . . you have nothing to be ashamed of_," Nokama's voice said as she recalled that day on the beach.

In her anger and guilt, she simply disregarded the turaga's words. Now they brought her comfort. More than that, they made her realize that Nokama was right; no matter where you stand, being afraid was nothing to be ashamed of. What mattered here and now was how she handled that fear and that she did everything in her power to fulfill her responsibility. With that resolved, she opened her eyes, only to fall to the ground with a squeal. She landed with a soft thud, and laughed along with Gali. "What in the world happened?" asked the Toa in between laughs.

"I think I somehow managed to levitate a bit," Kit replied. "And lost it when I opened my eyes."

Helping the girl up, Gali walked back to the village with Kit trailing right behind her. Little did they know that down at Ga-Koro, Turaga Nokama was watching them make their way down the cliff. Her eyes glowed with the warmth of a proud smile.


End file.
